Thesis Statements

A thesis statement is an important organizational tool that guides writers and readers in understanding a work’s main ideas, context, and structure. A thesis statement, sometimes related to or referred to as a claim, agenda, hypothesis, main idea, or research statement, may be found in multiple contexts, such as academic papers, business letters, articles, or presentations. While this handout serves as a general guide for thesis statements, always refer to assignment guidelines or disciplinary standards for specific direction.

Thesis Statement Basics

To communicate the purpose and scope of a writer’s work, a thesis statement details the work’s main idea(s) and supporting points, provides context, and outlines the work’s structure. Throughout the work, credible evidence supports the main idea. Depending on the purpose of the work, a thesis statement can be argumentative, exploratory, or analytical. A thesis statement is typically one or two sentences long and is often located near the end of an introduction; however, some assignments or genres may place the thesis statement elsewhere or use research questions, rather than a thesis statement, to guide the work.

Writing a Thesis Statement

When writing a thesis statement, it can be helpful to start with a broad topic and narrow it down to a claim with context. To do that, begin by identifying observations about a topic. Make a claim about the observations, then add context to the claim to create a strong thesis statement. Refer to the sample process below for writing and honing a thesis statement.

• Topic: Students may benefit from participating in high school sports.
• Observations: Participating in high school sports can encourage students to exercise and socialize. Some students cannot afford to play on a high school team.
• Claim: Schools should pay for high school students to participate in sports.
• Claim with context: By providing funding for their students to join a sports team, high schools can encourage their students to develop healthy habits and make lasting friendships.

Once you have drafted a thesis statement, review assignment guidelines or genre conventions to ensure your thesis statement is fulfilling its purpose and meeting audience expectations.

Revising a Thesis Statement

While it can be useful to draft a thesis statement early in the writing process, thesis statements often change throughout that process. To craft a strong thesis, revise and refine the original thesis statement throughout the writing process as main ideas, context, or structure evolve. Ensure the main ideas in the body of the work match the main ideas introduced in the thesis statement by comparing them to one another.

Review the following questions to check a thesis statement for specific and focused language.

• Can the main claim or takeaway of the paper be identified?
• Is the scope of the thesis statement limited to a specific time, subject, group, or argument?
• Does the thesis statement indicate organization and outline how information will be presented?
• Does the thesis statement use intentional language that provokes conversation or exploration?
• Do the claim within the paper match with the claims in the thesis statement?
• Are absolutes (words such as always, all, and never) avoided?
• If applicable to the context, does the thesis statement address a counterclaim to the main claim?